The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Ivan of SellerPlex talks about the specifics of the current supply chain mess and how sellers can minimize its negative impacts on their businesses. As if we don't say it enough already, a strained supply chain is the ecommerce story of 2021. Between the pandemic, ships stuck in shipping lanes, and a global container shortage, the whole supply chain mess has affected a lot of ecommerce businesses negatively. My guest today is someone who knows a thing or two about minimizing these negative impacts on your business and even boosting its value despite the supply chain crisis. Ivan Torlopov is Partner and Head of Supply Chain at SellerPlex who has years of experience in logistics and supply chain management. Since 2018, he's devoted a lot of his time helping ecommerce sellers resolve high-level supply chain issues. Timestamps: Intro about Ivan and SellerPlex - 1:18 What the supply chain mess looks like from the logistics side - 3:25 How to save on shipping costs - 8:00 Strategies for avoiding running out of stock - 14:58 The value of shopping for rates - 20:49 Rerouting your shipments to cut costs and transit time - 22:14 Choosing your 3PL location wisely - 34:46 I want to thank Ivan for all the valuable recommendations he's shared in this episode. If you want to get a hold of Ivan and learn more about what they do, you can head over to SellerPlex and explore all their content and even schedule a consultation. Make sure to mention that you're coming from the EcomCrew Podcast so they can hook you up with a discount! By the way, a topic we touched a little bit in this episode is boosting the value of your ecommerce business. If you're interested to learn more, we'll be going live with a free public webinar on Selling Your Ecommerce Business for Top Dollar. That's going to be on October 5, 2021 at 10 AM (PST). Head over to ecomcrew.com/webinar to reserve your slot. Also, don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes. Happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

Today, we'll be talking to Philipp Triebel, who is the Co-Founder of SellerX, one of the big names in the rapidly growing ecommerce aggregator ecosystem, with over 30 closed deals at the time of recording. FBA businesses are hot right now, some might even say now is the perfect time to be selling an ecommerce business, because of all the big rollup companies getting in on the action. In this episode, I get to pick Philipp's brain about why FBA businesses are very appealing to investors, what rollups look for (and what they avoid) in a potential acquisition, and what the endgame is for all these big rollup companies. If you're a thriving seller and are starting to think about your exit event, hearing about all these things from a buyer's perspective is definitely a must. Timestamps: How Philipp got into ecommerce aggregation - 00:37 What makes FBA businesses so appealing to investors - 4:24 How SellerX finds businesses to acquire - 9:31 What distinguishes SellerX from the competition - 15:21 How a deal with SellerX is structured - 20:56 Philipp's outlook on the aggregator space in the coming year - 28:12 I had a great time talking to Philipp today. If you're interested about a potential deal with SellerX, you can hit him up directly via email at philipp@sellerx.com. While we're on the topic of selling FBA businesses, we've had quite a few Premium members who've secured their graceful exits in the past quarter, and we're happy that all the perks of Premium helped them get there. That's why we're excited to announce the EcomCrew Premium is open again today! Premium not only gives you access to 1-on-1 email support from two 7-figure sellers, it also lets you view our entire library of webinars and full-length video courses, not to mention being part of a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. Registrations are open this week only, so be sure to register at ecomcrew.com/premium asap! Until the next one, happy selling!

Mike talks to Bill D'Alessandro about the oncoming supply chain issues as Christmas season starts to roll around. It's still September, but if you're in ecommerce, the holidays are right around the corner. With all that said, a lot of us are concerned about how to deal with Q4 as we're still wrestling with this perfect storm of supply chain issues. My guest today is Bill D'Alessandro, and I think he's the perfect guy to talk to about all these things. Bill is the CEO of Elements Brands, an ecommerce rollup company that focuses on acquiring and scaling consumer products brands. He's involved in a lot of stuff in ecommerce, which makes him the perfect guest to talk to about dealing with longer lead times going into the holidays, higher costs, and the general unpredictability in ecommerce heading into Q4. We also talk about ecommerce inflation and the ways that you can keep your business profitable. Timestamps: Things you should be thinking about going into Q4 - 1:58 How Bill is handling increased timelines, additional costs, and unpredictability - 5:05 Ecommerce inflation - 7:52 The value of having safety stock - 13:45 Dealing with unpredictability in ecommerce - 17:22 What shipping during the holidays will look like - 22:05 I want to thank Bill for the enlightening conversation. I can't wait to hear more of his insights and have him back on the podcast in the near future. Despite all these challenges ecommerce sellers are currently facing, now is a good time to be selling an ecommerce business, because more and more rollups are joining in on the action. If you're thinking about that graceful exit, we're inviting you to a free public webinar on October 5, 2021 at 10 AM (PST) about Selling Your Ecommerce Business for Top Dollar, where Dave and I will be walking you through the entire process of preparing your business for sale all the way to closing the deal. Save yourself a free slot by going to ecomcrew.com/webinar. As always, don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. Happy selling!

Marketing is part and parcel of doing ecommerce, and it's becoming more and more difficult to make your products stand out from the competition as the marketplace becomes more saturated. For this episode, we'll be talking about some pain points shared by many ecommerce sellers on the marketing front and provide some actionable tips to address them. Joining me is Emma Schermer Tamir of Marketing by Emma, a company that helps clients boost conversions through engaging content and other creative marketing solutions. She is a copywriter by trade and she has over a decade of experience in marketing and customer psychology. Whether you're just starting out or are already an established seller, this episode will show you that there's always something you can tweak to make your product pop out even more—and that even tiny, unrelated details can have a meaningful impact. Timestamps: Pros and cons of focusing on keyword optimization - 4:58 Using language that convey what your product is all about - 8:08 Crafting kickass photos to showcase your product - 17:49 Why you should build out your dream customer avatar - 23:40 Understanding the competition and how to contrast yourself from them - 27:08 Speaking in terms of benefits, not features - 33:53 Even mentioned: Rhodium Weekend I wanna thank Emma for coming on the show and sharing her marketing expertise with us. I'm sure you found as much value in it as I did. If you're interested to learn more about her company, head over to marketingbyemma.com. By the way, something else you don't want to miss is our upcoming free public webinar about selling your business for top dollar, where we'll be breaking down the entire process of exiting an ecommerce business—from nailing down an exit strategy to post-deal terms. Head over to ecomcrew.com/webinar for details. As always, leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. It helps more than you know. Happy selling!

Doing ecommerce as a parent and as a grandparent can be challenging, but our guest today has done just that. For this Under the Hood episode, I'll be talking to Cherie Drennan, who we consider in our community as one of the Grandmas of Ecommerce and just a delight to sit down and have a chat with. In this episode, we'll be talking about how she started out as an Amazon seller, what her pain points are, and how she can grow her business further. Some of the interesting topics we cover include why we always say revenue is vanity and profit is sanity, how to boost traffic and conversions through a content site, and what things your first hire should be able to do. Timestamps: How Cherie got into ecommerce - 1:24 What to do in case Amazon can't get your inventory checked in - 9:10 How I think this Christmas season will go - 12:14 How to get Amazon customers into your mailing list - 16:04 What you should look for in your first hire - 26:30 Sponsored Products vs Sponsored Brands campaigns - 37:48 Mike's outlook on ocean freight for the next year - 45:17 Websites mentioned: onlinejobs.ph I wanna thank Cherie for the value-packed conversation today, and we'll definitely keep this mini podcast series with the Grandmas of Ecommerce going. If you want to get featured on an Under the Hood segment like this one, be sure to head over to ecomcrew.com/underthehood to sign up. We're excited to hear about your ecommerce journey! Speaking of ecommerce journey, Dave and I would not have gotten this far without all the help from the amazing people we met along the way. In fact, we launched EcomCrew Premium to foster a community of like-minded sellers who are ready to help each other succeed. To make sure that all our members get their money's worth, Premium is only open for a limited time every quarter, but you can sign up to our waitlist as early as now and get notified when it opens again! Head over to ecomcrew.com/premium to learn more. Don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. Until the next one, happy selling!

We've made the jump to video podcasts! You can now not only listen, but watch full episodes on the EcomCrew Podcast YouTube channel. Today, Dave and I are excited to catch-up and talk about our businesses, and how 2021 has been for us so far. In my opinion, it's been the hardest year in ecommerce ever since I started 8 years ago, and that's because of the uncontrollable circumstances that have been plaguing the industry. But Dave seems to disagree. We explore Dave's side of the story, why stress is at an all time high, and the progress of my newest acquisition. Timestamps: Why 2021 has been the hardest year in ecommerce, and why Dave disagrees - 1:44 The difference in business types between Dave and I - 5:55 Preparing the next business for sale, and why - 6:56 Our predictions for when valuations start to decline - 9:36 Timing the market perfectly vs. selling when comfortable - 12:59 Does the size of my team have anything to do with how difficult ecommerce has been this year? - 18:34 Comparing the best month to last year's in the new business - 23:39 Exploring the 19% growth and where it's from - 26:53 Google Shopping Tips from Dave Bryant - 31:56 Dave's strategy for the future, and struggling with Facebook Ads - 32:48 What I learned after spending $1M on Facebook Ads - 34:04 Female-specific products vs. Male-specific products in Facebook Ads - 37:27 What's going on with Dave - 39:40 If you enjoyed this video podcast, don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes and subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes. As always, happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

Ecommerce aggregators have been all the rage this past year. We decided to kick off a podcast series with some of the biggest names in the aggregator space to help sellers understand the acquisition process and get that graceful exit. Today's guest is Jake Wolpert. He's the Head of Sales at Acquco, a relatively young ecommerce aggregator that's made a name for itself rather quickly. We'll talk about what Acquco and other aggregators look for when acquiring ecommerce businesses, what kinds of deals you can expect when selling, and the most important things you need to know to exit your business without leaving money on the table. Timestamps: Why the aggregator space has accelerated this quickly - 1:29 Acquco's biggest selling points - 2:55 How Jake got into the aggregator space - 12:44 What Acquco looks for in a business - 15:16 How Acquco evaluates businesses with the pandemic factor - 20:11 Basic terms that sellers can expect when working with Acquco - 23:27 Things you should know when gearing up to exit - 29:50 I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did, and we'll definitely have more informative episodes about ecommerce aggregators down the road. If you want to learn more about Acquco, you can get in touch with Jake through 908-208-9674 or jake.wolpert@acqu.co. By the way, in case you missed it, we've recently launched the EcomCrew Podcast YouTube channel, where we put up some of the most interesting tidbits from our podcasts episodes. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a beat. As always, happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

In ecommerce, there are a few things better than finding a good opportunity in a profitable niche. Today, we're doing an Under the Hood session with George Mulford, who's seeing a lot of potential and a sizable market in the gaming niche, and wants to take his brand into Amazon. George is currently at a crossroads and could use some practical advice on how to attack his chosen niche the right way and scale his brand. The key things we'll be talking about include why you should craft a killer listing even before launching your product (and how to do it) as well as the plethora of ways to drive traffic to your listing. Timestamps: How George got into ecommerce - 2:38 An overview of George's current ecommerce business - 4:27 Crafting a killer Amazon listing - 7:58 Driving traffic to your listing - 15:35 Is having an affiliate program a good idea? - 20:55 What to do if things are not quite working out - 25:38 Other ways to generate traffic - 30:30 It was my pleasure to give George my practical advice and I'm excited to have him back for an update on his business down the road. If you're also seeking advice and want to get featured in a podcast episode, head over to ecomcrew.com/underthehood to sign up. Resources mentioned: EcomCrew Free Resources Free Amazon Domination Book On top of these resources, we've also just launched a fresh, full-length FBA for Beginners course! This 5-module course in glorious HD has everything you need to know about taking an Amazon FBA business from 0 to 100. So if you're looking to launch an FBA business or want to expand your current business into Amazon, head over to ecomcrew.com/fbaforbeginners to sign up. As always, leave us a review on iTunes if you liked this episode. Happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

Things go by really fast in ecommerce, and as early as now, you should already be thinking about your plan of attack come Q4, what with all the issues online sellers have faced this past year. My guest today is Austin Henggeler. He is the Director of Sales and Account Management at Tophatter, a discovery shopping channel that lets customers participate in live online auctions and get deals on various products from third-party sellers. Today, we'll be talking about what selling on Tophatter looks like for newcomers and sellers looking to expand their business. We'll also go over Austin's predictions going into the holiday season as well as some consumer and merchant trends that he's observed over the past year, including how customers have been buying non-products (subscription services, experiences, etc.) way more and even considering those as gifts for the holidays. We'll also talk about the current shipping crisis and how the pandemic can still play into all this as 2021 slowly draws to a close. Timestamps: A little bit about Austin and Tophatter - 1:32 Austin's holiday predictions for 2021 - 3:44 How selling on Tophatter works and what your margins will look like - 13:26 Consumer and merchant trends going into Q4 2021 - 19:25 The current shipping and supply chain situation - 24:27 It's been a fun conversation with Austin and I can't help but wish we had more time. If you're interested in selling your products on Tophatter, check out their open marketplace over on tophatter.com. By the way, if you're not already selling on FBA, we've just released a full-length FBA for Beginners course tailored to helping you launch and take an Amazon FBA business from 0 to 100. Sign up here. Lastly, don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you liked this episode. Until the next one, happy selling!

We've made the jump to video podcasts! You can now not only listen, but watch full episodes on the EcomCrew Podcast YouTube channel. That's not the only thing that's fresh this week, though, as we also just launched our new standalone course, From 0 to 100 - Amazon for Absolute Beginners! By public demand, we developed this course to cater to those who are looking for a deep dive into everything there is to know about the increasingly complex Amazon platform. This 5-module course is tailored to those who are new to ecommerce altogether, experienced sellers coming from non-Amazon platforms, and even sellers who are looking for the best content to train up their staff and virtual assistants. For this episode, we'll be giving you a sneak peek of what the course has to offer by talking about the top 5 factors that can help you succeed as an Amazon seller. Timestamps: Success Factor #1: High-quality imagery - 6:49 Success Factor #2: Great customer reviews - 14:43 Success Factor #3: Solid PPC and advertising strategies - 24:47 Success Factor #4: A good launch - 31:41 Success Factor #5: On- and off-page ranking factors - 37:33 If you're an EcomCrew Premium member, you'll get instant access to this course. If you're not yet in Premium, the course is also available on its own. To learn more, head over to ecomcrew.com/fbacourse. We're excited to have you on board! If you enjoyed this video podcast, don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes and subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes. As always, happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!